2015 AT Thru-hike
- Thread starter MStudt
- Start date
vandert
New member
Oh yeah - here are a few
Just various ones from the area - one of my Prego wife walking the entire Width of the trail up at Clingmans, and one of her Jeep - it's been there and the parkway the last two years in a row lol.
Figured I would put the Jeep pic in just for a rise out of you all;-)
Let me know if it helps on the motivation, loaded them on here so took a bit longer than i wanted to here at work.
Attachments
vandert
New member
Few more just because;-) Nothing special and they are Iphone pic's so not to great, my favorite is the tree, it's my phone background now and I'm actually considering a sleeve tattoo of it LOL.
That tree is to the immediate left when you walk out of the path by the sign at the top at Clingmans dome
FYI, I am Cherokee - so much i have enrollment card etc and my mom is almost half, I did NOT know the history and the connection to Cherokee there and was amazed as it Felt like HOME and very comfy to me - did a bunch of research and honestly, the wife and our brood will probably move there in the next 10 years or so.
And yes, took my prego wife Wheeling on Parsons Ridge, was a blast
That tree is to the immediate left when you walk out of the path by the sign at the top at Clingmans dome
FYI, I am Cherokee - so much i have enrollment card etc and my mom is almost half, I did NOT know the history and the connection to Cherokee there and was amazed as it Felt like HOME and very comfy to me - did a bunch of research and honestly, the wife and our brood will probably move there in the next 10 years or so.
And yes, took my prego wife Wheeling on Parsons Ridge, was a blast
Attachments
MStudt
official vendor
Few more just because;-) Nothing special and they are Iphone pic's so not to great, my favorite is the tree, it's my phone background now and I'm actually considering a sleeve tattoo of it LOL.
That tree is to the immediate left when you walk out of the path by the sign at the top at Clingmans dome
FYI, I am Cherokee - so much i have enrollment card etc and my mom is almost half, I did NOT know the history and the connection to Cherokee there and was amazed as it Felt like HOME and very comfy to me - did a bunch of research and honestly, the wife and our brood will probably move there in the next 10 years or so.
And yes, took my prego wife Wheeling on Parsons Ridge, was a blast
Looks good! I'm sure things will look a lot different when we're out at the end of the year. Most likely a lot more white stuff on the ground. We've talked about moving to the area as well, but we'll most likely end up in Colorado.
vandert
New member
Colorado is fun but expensive - Lived in Colorado Springs from 1998-2001 and Loved it - honestly wish i could live there a little now at a later age so I could appreciate it more. I took off stupidly all the time and did a few 3 day hike with only jerky, tent, sleeping bag, and my .45 solo with a compass and map from Peterson AFB to Cripple Creek was my favorite one, but topped a few 12k passes on that and was rather dumb luck.
Personally though, i would rather N.C. probably as there is mountains and ocean, i'm a surfer, and love the water, but love the mountains more, they are not rockies, nor huge but they are nice and it's nice to have both availiable and all 4 seasons.
I'm sure you've been to Colorado, but i don't miss the cracking fingers, and i hate lotion so much i would stay away from living there for it lol. If I wanted Rockies over smokies - Vancouver may be the place for me - loved i there and you want to talk about hiking, check it out sometime, and Whistler is amazing snowboarding/skiing.
Anyway, getting off my soapbox,
Good luck and Godspeed man, looking forward to the journey, was tellling my wife about your blog and your stories
MStudt
official vendor
Colorado is fun but expensive - Lived in Colorado Springs from 1998-2001 and Loved it - honestly wish i could live there a little now at a later age so I could appreciate it more. I took off stupidly all the time and did a few 3 day hike with only jerky, tent, sleeping bag, and my .45 solo with a compass and map from Peterson AFB to Cripple Creek was my favorite one, but topped a few 12k passes on that and was rather dumb luck.
Personally though, i would rather N.C. probably as there is mountains and ocean, i'm a surfer, and love the water, but love the mountains more, they are not rockies, nor huge but they are nice and it's nice to have both availiable and all 4 seasons.
I'm sure you've been to Colorado, but i don't miss the cracking fingers, and i hate lotion so much i would stay away from living there for it lol. If I wanted Rockies over smokies - Vancouver may be the place for me - loved i there and you want to talk about hiking, check it out sometime, and Whistler is amazing snowboarding/skiing.
Anyway, getting off my soapbox,
Good luck and Godspeed man, looking forward to the journey, was tellling my wife about your blog and your stories
We need bigger mountains over the rolling hills. I can see Montana in future as well. A lot depends on who gets a job where. But, we both shooting for Colorado. It's the halfway point from my family in Oregon/Washington, and her family in Missouri.
MStudt
official vendor
I'm not happy about it, but my final weight is going to be around 38lbs with 6 days of food! I was really hoping to be around the 35lbs mark, but it is winter. My wife is going to be right at 31lbs for her weight as well.
I really can't wait until March rolls around so we can start dropping some of this winter gear. We do have a couple things right now that we could do without, and we might send those items home if they don't get used within the first couple weeks. I'm really hoping to be around the 28-32lbs mark in March, and my wife around the 23-25lbs mark.
I really can't wait until March rolls around so we can start dropping some of this winter gear. We do have a couple things right now that we could do without, and we might send those items home if they don't get used within the first couple weeks. I'm really hoping to be around the 28-32lbs mark in March, and my wife around the 23-25lbs mark.
MtnT4R
New member
Would you mind sharing your gear list on here? I or someone else might see something you can either drop or substitute. I don't think you packed like an idiot but a second set of eyes on the list might find a few things...
MStudt
official vendor
I've dropped a couple things already and lost about 21oz. I'm down the bare bones with the exception of carrying our hammocks. The hammocks are the only thing that I'd be able to leave behind at this point.
Granite Gear Pack- 87.76oz (larger pack to allow for winter bulk)
North Face MICA 2- 64.69oz (tent, footprint, poles, 6 stakes)
Hammocks- 50.29oz (2 hammock, tree huggers)(could send home)
Katadyn Pro- 16.74oz (filter, hoses, insulator to prevent freezing, iodine drops)
Cookware- 27.73oz (1.6L pot, MSR Pockrocket, Fuel, 2 spoon/fork)
Down Booties- 11.5oz (could send home, but will most likely keep)
First AID- 11.18oz
Sleeping Pads- 42.32oz (both our pads)
Yaktraks- 3.70oz
Stuff- 6.77oz (down hat, cheap cotton gloves, bandanna, good gloves w/shell)
Stuff- 14.57oz (headlamps, battery pack, charge cable)
Stuff- 6.88oz (fire starting stuff)
Water Bottle- 8.32oz (32oz bottle w/insulator)
Water Bag- 3.14oz (for camp)
Stuff Sack- 1.52oz (dirty clothes, pad pump)
Dog Stuff- 39.39 (clothes to keep her warm/dry)
Paracord- 3.46oz (food hanging)
Flask- 2.05oz (helps with staying sane)
iPod- 5.36oz (ipod, ear buds, case)
Saw- 10.79oz (worth the wait to help stay warm)(could send home)
My base weight is 367.87oz or 22.99lbs. That's not a bad base weight considering carrying dog stuff, 2 extra hammocks, and a saw. If I were to drop the hammocks, and saw I'd be looking at 306.79oz or 19.17lbs. That's close to a 4lb weight loss. Those will be the items that I'll look into sending back right away, and possibly the down booties.
MtnT4R
New member
That's a very well thought out list, especially for a friggin long hike. I'm curious to know how you will trim this down to the final loadout when you step off. Keep us updated!
MStudt
official vendor
I'm considering leaving the stakes at home. We're going to be using the shelters 9/10 nights as it is. I think there are only 2-3 nights where we'll actually need to pitch the tent on ground. Sticks will work when the ground soft, but not when it starts freezing solid. If there are some cold nights we'll end up pitching out tent in the shelter out of the wind, so stakes won't be needed there.
We'll start with the hammocks, or at least one. I know my wife is going to want one for lounging around if we have to wait out the weather. I've thought about the Sawyer before, but not really sure how I feel about it. I know a lot of people are using them, but how to the work in shallow poles of water? A lot of the water sources on the AT are only small poles rather than larger areas of water like creeks or streams. I've been looking at the Squeeze System as an option.
The sleeping pads are Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pads that are rated to 15*. When the weather warms up we'll be switching these out for lighter ones. The headlamps weigh 3.2oz each, so that's pretty good. We have a battery pack to help keep things charged like the camera, ipod, and a phone in case of an emergency.
The saw is something we've discussed. We do think it'll get used in the beginning quite a bit, but not sure how much after a month or so. There's usually quite a bit a wood around, but mostly 6" or larger since people don't want to break that. The usefulness is ultimately going to depend on the how wet/dry the wood is. If we're only finding wet wood then the saw will go home.
I'm going to lighten up my pack a bit over the next week or so. I'll be removing all unnecessary straps, buckles, and so on. I think my weight is pretty good considering when we're starting, and having to bring dog stuff. I still need to consider weight for olive oil, spices, dog food, and crocs. Even with that I should still be under 40lbs, which is heavy but it could always be worse.
I'll really like switching my gear out once March-April rolls around. Hoping to drop about 5-10 pounds at that time. We'll eventually swap the tent for hammocks, lighter pack, no down booties, no insulators, and some of the heavy clothing will get swapped out too.
MStudt
official vendor
Another update, and most likely the last one before we leave on Saturday. Here's a few pictures so you can see exactly what we're bringing with us.
My clothing for the next 6-7 months. Winter items will be sent home, and summer items will be mailed out when the weather warms up. My wife's clothing is just about the same as mine with the obvious differences.
This is my dogs stuff for the first 2-3 months. When the weather warms up most of this will go home.
The gear we're bringing.
Sleeping bags, food, boots, and our hiking clothes are not pictured.
My clothing for the next 6-7 months. Winter items will be sent home, and summer items will be mailed out when the weather warms up. My wife's clothing is just about the same as mine with the obvious differences.
This is my dogs stuff for the first 2-3 months. When the weather warms up most of this will go home.
The gear we're bringing.
Sleeping bags, food, boots, and our hiking clothes are not pictured.
MStudt
official vendor
I'll continue to post updates on here with some pictures.
When we get back in June/July we'll be heading out to southern California, and driven the coast to northern Washington. Taking around a month to do so.
MStudt
official vendor
Final weights are in. There's nothing we can do about the weight at this point. We sat down and figured out why we're so heavy, and what can be done about it. We drew the conclusion that nothing can be done until the weather warms up.
I'm carrying right at 52.76oz in gear/food for my dog, 10.79oz for a saw, and 25.14oz for 1 hammock. Giving me a total of 88.69oz or 5.54lbs. We will send the saw home once winter kicks in, and there is no more dry wood. We'll also send the hammock home if my wife doesn't use it like he claims she will.
The rest of the weight has been gone through, and we're down to only carrying the items we need. We easily have 18lbs of food for 6 days. Some people would say that's a lot, but we eat well on the trail. That's a key for winter hiking, and helping to replenish the 7k-8k calories we'll burn a day.
I'll get some updates on this thread, and pictures from along the way. You should start seeing some towards the end of next week.
I'm carrying right at 52.76oz in gear/food for my dog, 10.79oz for a saw, and 25.14oz for 1 hammock. Giving me a total of 88.69oz or 5.54lbs. We will send the saw home once winter kicks in, and there is no more dry wood. We'll also send the hammock home if my wife doesn't use it like he claims she will.
The rest of the weight has been gone through, and we're down to only carrying the items we need. We easily have 18lbs of food for 6 days. Some people would say that's a lot, but we eat well on the trail. That's a key for winter hiking, and helping to replenish the 7k-8k calories we'll burn a day.
I'll get some updates on this thread, and pictures from along the way. You should start seeing some towards the end of next week.
